The present invention relates to billiard or pool cues and, more particularly, to a device for protecting the threads of a breakdown billiard cue of the type having two threadably attachable sections and including a tool for maintaining or scuffing the tip of the cue.
Billiard or pool cues are often constructed of two threadably attachable sections so they may be conveniently taken apart for storage or transport. Typically, the hand or grip section is provided with an axial threaded stud which is threadable into an internally threaded bushing in the end of the tip section. Some cues are constructed in three sections, including a pair of interchangeable tip sections which may vary from one another in length, weight, taper, or the like. The cue is typically made of wood and the threaded members, inset in the cue ends, are typically made of brass. In addition, many custom-made cues are provided with inlaid cylindrical bands which surround the threaded adjoining ends of the two cue sections. The inlay material may be plastic or even a more exotic material, such as ivory, but in any case is generally harder and substantially more brittle than the wooden cue material.
It is common for the cue owner to carry the two or three section cue in a carrying case for convenience and to remove the two sections comprising the cue and thread them together for use. One or the other of the sections may occasionally be inadvertently dropped or scraped against some surface in the process of removal from or return to the carrying case. Should either of the sections fall or be struck on its threaded end, the metal threads may be distorted or bent, or the wooden edge or inlaid ferrule may be chipped or broken.
After a period of use, the playing tip of the cue, which is often made of leather or a leather-like material, may become smooth from chalking and continued contact with the billiard balls. It is desirable and often necessary to periodically scuff the tip to provide a roughened surface by scraping it with a hard abrasive tool.
It is known in the art to provide a two-piece tip protector comprising two body parts, one of which includes a stud matching the one on the cue handle section and the other having a threaded recess matching the threaded bore on the cue tip section. These protectors are threaded respectively onto the cue sections containing the threaded bore and the stud. This is the sole function provided by the prior art two-piece protector. It is also known to make a small tip scuffing tool in the form of a small block, approximately the size of the chalk blocks used to chalk the cue tip. The scuffing blocks may include one or two concave abrasive surfaces, one of which may be rubbed over the cue tip, in a manner similar to chalking, to roughen the tip surface. Such small tip scuffers are limited strictly to this function and, because of their size, are easily misplaced or lost.